OLUMBUS, Ohio - In the middle of a school day full of smiles and upbeat talk yesterday, Al Gore heard the strong views of a principal and a parent on state-mandated testing.
There was plenty of time for chatting at lunch with his Avondale Elementary schoolmate-for-a-day, 9-year-old Beca Rawlins. They talked about pets, jokes, and food, she said, and she promised ''to tell my mom to vote for him because he's nice.''
Principal Mary Ann Burns also praised the vice president's visit, but she and at least one parent had strong words on the testing issue.
In a state where controversy over mandatory proficiency tests is growing, the Democratic presidential candidate said he supported such tests.
''We need to measure the performance of the students because communities are going to have an easier time putting the heat on the politicians, the school boards, the taxpayers, and everybody else in order to improve the schools if there is a fair and accurate way to get a measurement of how the schools are doing,'' he said.
On a softer note, he said that children who do not do well on the tests should be given extra help rather than be automatically held back.
''You have to make sure there's a balanced attitude toward tests, that you have a good test that's appropriate for the kids and isn't destructive but is constructive,'' he said.
Burns had nothing good to say about the state's fourth-grade guarantee, which beginning next year will hold students back a grade if they don't pass a reading test.
''I don't believe a legislator should say a child should fail the fourth grade,'' she said.
